Television receiver with a TV phone function
View Patent ↗A videophone system includes a processor which selectively sets a television (TV) broadcast program viewing function mode and videophone function mode in response to manual operation of a remote control, a decoder which performs, in the TV program view mode, a TV program-use decode function for decoding a broadcast program signal received from a TV tuner to thereby display it on a display screen while producing audio sounds by loudspeakers and which performs, in the videophone function mode a videophone-use decode function for decoding a videophone signal received from a distant party to thereby display on the screen an image of the distant party using the screen and speakers, and an encoder which performs a videophone-use encode function for encoding a video signal from a camera and a voice signal from a microphone to generate a videophone signal, which is sent to the distant party via a network.
1. A digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus comprising:
a network interface configured to receive a first digital information including a first video information from a content server and to receive a second digital information including a second video information from another communication apparatus;
an encoder configured to generate a third digital information including a third video information by encoding a video signal generated by a camera;
a processor configured to control outputs of the first digital information, the second digital information and the third digital information; and
a user input device configured to accept an input from a user,
wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an inbound videophone call from the other communication apparatus during outputting of the first digital information received from the content server, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus communicates with the content server for pausing a transmission of the first digital information and outputs the second digital information, and
wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an input for stopping the videophone call from one of the user input device as the input from the user and the another communication apparatus, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus stops output of the third digital information.
2. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein after the videophone call is finished, the processor restarts the process of receiving the first digital information.
3. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor stops an operation of the camera for generating the third video information in a case where the processor does not receive the second video information for a preset time from the other communication apparatus.
4. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a decoder configured to decode the first digital information received by the network interface or the the third digital information received from the other communication apparatus.
5. A method for receiving and transmitting digital information for a digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus, the method comprising:
receiving a first digital information including a first video information from a content server;
receiving a second digital information including a second video information from another communication apparatus; and
generating a third digital information including a third video information by encoding a video signal generated by a camera;
wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an inbound videophone call from the other communication apparatus during outputting the first digital information received from the content server, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus communicates with the content server for pausing a transmission of the first digital information and outputs the second digital information, and
in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an input for stopping the videophone call from one of a user input device and the another communication apparatus, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus stops output of the third digital information.
6. The method according to claim 5 ,
wherein after the videophone call is finished, the processor restarts the process of receiving the first digital information.
7. The method according to claim 5 ,
wherein the processor stops an operation of the camera for generating the third video information in a case where the processor does not receive the second video information for a preset time from the other communication apparatus.
8. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
decoding the first digital information received by the network interface or the third digital information received from the other communication apparatus.